


"The battle of the vengeful spirit soldiers", as Dean called it

by Eminaux



Category: Supernatural
Genre: F/M, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-02
Updated: 2014-07-02
Packaged: 2018-02-07 03:29:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,491
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1883619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eminaux/pseuds/Eminaux





	1. The mojo salt

”You sure this is gonna work, Bobby?”

Dean looked skeptically at the big bucket of salt balancing on top of the slightly opened door.

”I mean, isn’t it a bit too simple?”

”Sometimes simple beats the alternative”, Bobby stated as he loaded a gun with rock salt. ”And we gotta see if this mojo salt really works."

”Nah, I still think you got spoofed by that salesman, but I guess you’re right.”

Dean began to prepare a gun too, without having to stretch his arm more than a couple of inches to reach the ammo. Bobby’s house had never been so full of salt before, it almost looked like a snow storm had run its ways through the rooms. But then again, they had never faced a larger group of ghosts either. The military plane that had crashed only a couple of miles from there last month had not exactly been full of peaceful souls. They had spent the nearest weeks fighting in something that Dean liked to call ”the battle of the vengeful spirit soldiers”. It was quite a mouthful, but Sam and Bobby let him keep up with it.

”What’s up with that anyway?”, Sam asked and nodded towards the bucket. ”I’ve never heard of any special salt before.”

”I think he said it contained some sort of acid... although I must admit, it was a bit unclear. But a larger amount should be mortal to the bastards.”

”Well I sure hope you’re right, since they’re not letting us near the plane. One could think it should have caught fire and burned the... ssh!”

Sam put a finger over his lips. Soft footsteps in the hallway and all three of them pointed their weapons towards the door. Someone slowly pushed the door open and the bucket fell over. During all his years as a hunter, Bobby had never before heard such a horrific scream. Sliced through his head like a razor blade and made him drop the shot gun on the raggedy carpet beneath him. But in the end, it was not the scream itself that paralyzed him. It was the one it belonged to. He did not even know she was able to conjure such a sound.

”Ellen!”, Sam shouted and hurried towards her. She was pressing her palms hard against her eyes and Sam made it just in time to catch her before her knees hit the ground. Her body turned and twisted in spasms and even though Sam wrapped his arms tight around her, he had trouble keeping her still.

”What the hell did you do to me!” Ellen cried, still tossing her body all about in pain. She removed her hands from her face for a moment, revealing the eyes. Red and terribly swollen, with some kind of blood mixed puss pouring out among the tears.

”Water!”, Sam yelled and Bobby finally seemed to snap out of his temporary state of shock. He reached for the bottle of water on the small yet over full table next to him and with two gigantic steps, he was there with them. Sam forced Ellen’s head back and Bobby emptied the content of the bottle over her face. She coughed a couple of times, a funny squeak left her throat and then it seemed like all the strength in her body disappeared. With Sam’s help she sat down on the floor, back against the wall. She kept running her hands hard over her eyes, over and over again while breathing heavily. Dean had gotten hold of the almost empty salt bucket and now starred in disbelief on Ellen.

”So much for acid salt huh, Bobby.”

One could read ’seven hard years’ right across Bobby’s face as he, unable to take his eyes from her, watched how the soaked Ellen almost rubbed her eyes out. The uncontrollable crying had toned down into quiet sobs. He kneeled down before her and very gently put his hands around her wrists, but she still twitched at his touch.

”Let me take a look”, he said calmly, but Ellen made resistance as he tried to pull her hands away. ”I’m so sorry, Ellen, but you gotta let me examine you.”

Sam had taken a few steps back and switched looks with Dean. Bobby was... soft.

”They... left”, Ellen said, making an effort to control her voice. ”They just... left.”

Sam raised and eyebrow. ”What do you mean left?”

”I mean - oh for god’s sake Singer, leave me alone!”

Bobby looked oddly rejected as he let go of her, but he stayed in the same kneeling position as before.

”The spirits”, Ellen continued, ”They’re all gone, neither Jo nor I saw a single one on the round.” Her voice was much steadier, but her shaky hands gave her away in an instant. She was still in great pain.

”Wait, what? They’ve lingered here for weeks and then they just suddenly decide to pop off? Why?”, Sam said as he started pacing around on the salt covered floor.

”And where’s Jo?”, Dean asked, ”You said you went with her on the round but where’s she now?”

”She’s wanted to take another turn just to be sure.”

”And you let her go by herself?”

”Don’t question my parenting, Winchester. Jo’s a big girl, she can take care of herself.”

”Wow, your melody’s really changed since our last visit -”

”Seriously guys, give it a rest”, Sam interrupted, ”Ellen’s right and I’m sure Jo is fine. But if the spirits really have disappeared... it could be a trap. And if that’s the case, I don’t like the idea of Jo out there by herself.”

”Well that’s my cue, bye folks!”, Dean stated and the second later he was out of the room. Sam smiled a bit, thought it was sweet that he cared so much. He turned to the remaining two.

”I’m gonna go re-check all the ghost stuff research for the third time, just in case we’ve missed something. I don’t know, maybe their behavioral patterns are different when they’re so many.”

”You go, ghost doc.” Ellen joked.

”Ok, good. And Ellen, let Bobby take a look at that. It seemed infected.” Then he left as well and was replaced by a strange silence, only broken by Ellen’s heavy breaths. Bobby did not know why, but he had a hard time seeing her so vulnerable. Maybe because he was not used to it. He cleared his throat a bit.

”Well you heard the man”, he began, ”so if you’d be kind to remove your hands, it’d make it a hell of a lot easier.”

”What if I’m blind.”

The whisper, just barely hearable, hit Bobby like lightning from a cloudless sky. He could hardly believe this was the same woman who just seconds ago made fun of Sam for being such a book lover.

”What if I’m blind, Bobby. What if I can’t -”

”You’re not blind”, he replied sharply and she twitched a bit, which immediately made him calm down again. ”You’re not blind”, he repeated, ”but if we don’t do anything about it, I’m sure you will be.”

She hesitated, but then slowly lowered her hands, still keeping her lids closed tightly. Bobby swallowed. The redness had gotten even more intense and big blisters had started to take form. Blood and puss had been smeared out by Ellen’s rubbing, but at least it was not pouring out from her eyes anymore. He put a hand under her chin as support and very carefully stroke a thumb over the blistered area. Ellen inhaled roughly but did not yank away.

”The blisters will heal, even faster if we get some liniment on it.”

”What was even in that bucket?”

”Acid salt.”

Ellen went quiet.

”Now if you please would open them too.” Bobby continued. He could feel how strongly she did not want to, but then again, she seemed to understand she could not keep them closed forever. She squinted through her thick lashes but immediately shut close again with a howling sound that did not even sound human.

”Ellen, please.”

”God it hurts.” she hissed.

”You wanna squeeze my hand or someth -”

”I’m not twelve, Bobby! Just give me a sec, ok?”

She took a couple of deep breaths and Bobby caught himself breathing with her. Then she flung her eyes wide open as she screamed Bobby right in the face. He could not help but gasp, but not because of the sound. It was the eyes. Oh god, her eyes.

”Water”, she sniffed, ”get some more water... Bobby?”

”It won’t help.” he said stiffly.

”What are you... but... I saw. It hurts like a bitch but I can see, why can’t you -”

”They’re black.”

”Sure they dark, but not bla-”

”Demon black.”


	2. Little did he know

”Jo?”

”Dean have you seen this?”

He hurried towards her where she was standing in the middle of Bobby’s car- and junk collection. She nodded at the ”motorhuv” of a white and rusty 57s Chevy where a dark red mark had been drawn. Dean leaned closer to the car.

”I don’t know about you but I did not see that yesterday”, he said. He was just about to poke it when Jo put a hand on his shoulder.

”Don’t. You’ll get burned.”

He opened his mouth but forgot his words when he saw her red fingers. ”You’re okay?” His voice was a bit louder than what he first had intended. 

”Yeah, no big deal. But this mark, have you seen it before?”

A bit reluctant, he turned towards the car again and gave the red paint a long look. It was very similar to the one they regularly used to trap demons with - the circle and the star within. But the smaller symbols was another story.

”No memory of it. But we should let Sam or Bobby take a look. Just hope Bobby’s solved all that mojo salt crap by now...”

”The salt didn’t work?”

Dean gave her a silent look and watched how the worry rose to her face.

”Dean”, she said stiffly, ”What happened?”

 

***

 

Bobby did not really expect a long good nights sleep and when the clock showed 04:23 without him getting as much as a nap, he understood he was right. He muttered slightly as he went up, put on an old raggedy robe over the t-shirt and boxers and wandered off.

His first intention was to grab something in the fridge, but suddenly found his feet carrying him towards the spare bedroom down the hall. Stopped right in front of the door, looked down at the salt line drawn at the threshold which he knew had a twin beneath the window in the small room. The boys had not wanted to take any chances. He knocked while he at the same time considered go fetching a gun, but somehow decided not to. No answer from the other side of the door. He put in the key, turned and went in anyway.

Ellen was lying down on her side on the bed fully dressed, even with shoes and the green jacket on. First Bobby thought she was asleep, but as he moved closer he could see her black eyes wide open. Starred at the opposite wall at an extremely ugly portrait by Picasso with a stiff expression on her face. Did not move an inch when Bobby sat down on a chair at the side of the bed, blocking the Picasso from her view.

”You shouldn’t be in here.” she said with a voice drained from emotion.

”You should try get some sleep.”

”Don’t tell me you’re here to sing me a lullaby.”

”Ha ha, very funny.”

”At least tell me you brought a salt gun with you.”

”No.”

”Fool. What if the parasite bitch inside here suddenly decides to show itself, what are you gonna do then, huh?”

Bobby shivered. Not because of her words, but the indifference in which she said them. 

”It’s all gonna be fine, Ellen. We’re just not sure what... well what’s wrong with you. Regular demons can’t stand neither holy water nor salt, but since you -”

”Yeah I know the drill, you’re not the only hunter in the room.”

Bobby nodded slowly and scratched his beard a bit. Was not sure what to say next, or why he had even gotten here in the first place. The boys would kill him if they had known he had went in, especially unarmed, but he was to tired to really care. He covered a yawn with his hand.

”Can I get you someth -?”

”No.”

”Okay. Then I guess I should just go back to my room and role my thumbs and wait for the sun to pop up.”

”No.”

”No? Then what do you think I should do, Ellen, cause I really don't -”

He interrupted himself in the middle of the sentence when his eye caught an almost invisible tear running across the bridge of Ellen’s nose. It was a strange sight. Her stone cold face still lacking any trace of emotion and then the lonely tear freeing itself from the black eye.

Bobby hesitated a couple of more seconds and then, knowing he stepped way over the line, he rose from the chair, climbed over Ellen’s body on the bed and with a grunt of effort he laid down beside her. Awkwardly created an old dressing gown shield around her and put his arm around her upper body. God she was cold, he could feel it even through the jacket. She still did not move, all he could feel was his own heart beating steadily against her back.

”We’ll figure this out, Ellen. I promise.” he muttered. She sniffed silently as she started to twist a bit and Bobby immediately loosened his grip around her. Waited for the chilly ”get the hell out of my room” he had expected to hear from the moment he got in. But no. She did not even made herself free from him. Instead she did the thing he had least expected. She turned around so that they were lying face to face. Starred with all the blackness at his surprised face for a couple of moments and then huddled up against his chest. Traced her fingers under the robe and let them rest on the shirt only centimeters from his heart, which only seemed to beat faster for every passing second.

When his brain finally caught up with her actions, Bobby carefully put his arms around her, bringing her even closer in to his body. Her hair tickled his chin and he kissed her gently on the top of her head. He shivered a bit when her cold hands kept running over his shirt towards his back as she embraced him as well. She was still hiding her face by his chest and he noticed how his shirt got damp.

”It’ll be fine”, he mumbled comfortingly and felt her pulling herself in even closer. ”It’ll all be fine.”


End file.
